Today’s announcement by the WA Government of a new COVID-19 community testing program that will include the hospitality industry has been welcomed by the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) WA.
AHA(WA) CEO Bradley Woods said the WA Department of Health’s DETECT Snapshot Program will assist in accurately determining whether there are asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 in the community, particularly amongst groups of workers who are more likely to be exposed to the virus.
“Hospitality workers are at the frontline of community engagement and broader testing for COVID-19 is an important precondition for further relaxing restrictions and will help our industry move closer to a more extended level of operation,” Mr Woods said.
“We understand that in order for more restaurants, bars, pubs and taverns to re-open safely, the State Government needs accurate data and a better understanding of the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.”
“With access to more comprehensive data about whether the virus is still in the community, better decisions can be made about how and when we can return to more normal trading conditions.
“The AHA has worked closely with the State Government to support hospitality staff being included in the DETECT Snapshot Program, given the nature of the industry and the high number of people they come into contact each day.”
“The hospitality industry is eager to see more of the existing restrictions relaxed as soon as possible – the DETECT program is key to ensuring this can occur.”